Uttarakhand govt allows micro distilleries in hills
PrashantNews
The Uttarakhand government on Wednesday approved its new excise policy for the year 2024-25 with a provision of setting up micro distilleries in the hills.
Under the new policy, the revenue collections from the excise department have been increased by 11 percent for the new financial year 24-25. The target will be Rs 4440 crore for the year 2024-25, which is 11 percent more than the the last year’s target of Rs 4000 crore.
To boost the investments in the hills, the government has allowed the investors to set up new micro distilleries in the hills which can be set up in a minimum area keeping in view the land shortage there. Under the scheme, the micro distilleries will give boost to the local vegetations and ayurvedic herbs. The prominence will be given to fruits like malta, apple, kafal, pear and kinu as the wastage in some fruits is high.
The effort will be to create a new brand of liquor in Uttarakhand on the lines of Scotland and Italy, top officials said.
The license fee for opening liquor shops in malls and departmental stores has been fixed at Rs 5 lakh with a requirement of minimum area of 400 sq ft. The license fees for bars will depend on the star ratings of the restaurants and hotels.